Call of Freedom, page 41
The following evening, gathered around a lavishly set table dressed with beef, pork, carp, oysters, and fine wine, the conversation turned to what Daniel preferred to term the ‘Leisler Stand’—in contrast to those who deemed it a rebellion. ‘Then what happened?’ Paul asked eagerly, wanting to know the fate of the man in question. By then, the children had gone to bed, and after some deliberation, Daniel agreed to recount the tragic end of Jacob Leisler.
Chapter 28
Fall, 1699
New York
Isabelle quietly got up, pulled up her woollen stockings, and slipped on her nightgown over her shift, leaving little Pierre sound asleep in their parents’ bed.
She tiptoed to the top of the stairs, careful not to make the floorboards creak. Perched on the third step from the top, she then peeked into the downstairs room toward the front window, whose shutters had been pulled shut. In the warm glow of the dining table lamps, Mr Darlington appeared gravely serious as he sat opposite her parents, who had their backs to her. To his left, May Ducamp sat next to her husband. Lily-Anne was sitting at one end of the table, between Darlington and her father, while Paul attentively listened to Mr Darlington’s every word from the opposite end. The Ducamp’s youngest was curled up with a blanket placed over her in an armchair by the glowing hearth. Isabelle wriggled to find a comfortable position, then trained her ear to the sombre voice of Daniel Darlington.
He was saying, ‘While holding New York for William and Mary, never did Leisler think he would one day risk a condemnation of treason at the hands of their appointees. But when he handed over the fort, he was immediately tied up and put into irons, as was his son-in-law, Jacob Milborne. They were detained in the fort prison, as were other members of Leisler’s council and close circle. Then our worthy friend was indicted for treason and murder.’
‘I can still hardly believe it,’ said Jacob, seated directly opposite, as he served Daniel some more wine.
‘Neither could he,’ said Darlington. ‘But it must have dawned on him quickly that there would be little chance of a fair trial, for he refused to enter a plea and instead petitioned to be tried in England, where he hoped he could plead his innocence to an impartial jury directly under the king. By pleading in New York, he would have effectively empowered the jury to make them judges of fact. Moreover, he rightly asked for his power as governor to be determined first.
‘But alas, that was not to be. Instead, the ensuing mockery of a trial was cruel and arbitrary, with the judge from the anti-Leislerian faction and the jury mostly composed of its prominent members, including none other than Major Ingoldsby.’
‘The same who had laid siege to the fort before the governor’s arrival?’
‘The very same,’ said Daniel, turning toward Paul further down the table. Darlington pressed on, ‘Ingoldsby, Bayard, Nicholls, van Cortlandt, and other members of the elite were all in consort to bring Leisler down and to influence the new governor, who, I should add, was residing with the Bayards in their townhouse, no less.’
‘It is hardly conceivable,’ said Jacob. ‘Mercifully, you were able to narrowly evade capture yourself.’
Daniel gestured to May and Didier sitting to his left. ‘Thanks to my good friends here, I was indeed able to flee to New Rochelle with my family. But as soon as things calmed down, I returned under my assumed name, wearing a gentleman’s periwig and a wide-brimmed hat, complete with a full beard and moustache, and a promise to Marianne to keep a low profile. I was eager to find out about the proceedings, and how I could help without breaking my promise to my dear wife.’
‘But what exactly was Leisler accused of?’ said Paul, leaning forward on the table, his wooden bowl pushed aside.
‘Illegal usurpation of authority, thereby constituting high treason. He was even accused of being the root cause of the massacre at Schenectady by the French and their Indian allies, which, of course, was absurd. For if our Indian allies had watched the trail as they had agreed to, there would have been ample warning to counter the surprise attack. But that’s another story.’
Jacob asked, ‘Was there no protest from the people of New York who petitioned him to lead them in the first place?’
‘There was indeed a great deal of division and uproar. Even Domine Daillé, the Huguenot priest of the fort temple, who chastised Leisler many a time throughout his governance, was adamantly against what was clearly becoming a travesty of justice. Daillé collected near two thousand signatures for his petition to remove Leisler and Milborne to England to be judged more fairly by Their Majesties. But as soon as the authorities got wind, he was arrested.’
‘What became of that petition?’ asked Paul.
‘Well, fearing for the lives of her family and the subscribers, when the good priest was arrested, his wife burnt it. She is not to be blamed, for if the other priests had stepped in to offer their support, it might have been a very different story. But they did not.’
‘And the protesters?’
‘To quell any further dissent, a bill, crafted at the behest of Bayard, quashed any unrest from potential protesters, who would henceforth be deemed as rebels. And let us not forget that Ingoldsby had brought an army with him! Never was there such fear, suspicion, and political division as during Leisler's trial.’
‘That’s true,’ said Ducamp as Darlington swirled his wine in his glass meditatively. ‘The anti-Leislers became all the more confident in their accusations, now that they understood which way the council’s weathercock was turning.’
‘Anyway, the long and short of it was that the accused were found guilty of treason, punishable by death. Leisler’s counsellors were detained in confinement until their charges were reversed by order of Queen Mary the following year. But as for Leisler and Milborne, five members of Sloughter’s council that included Bayard, Nicholls, van Cortlandt, Philipse, and Minivielle, voted for their execution. Yet there was still a chance of saving them while word was expected from England and while Sloughter hesitated to sign the death sentence.
‘However, Bayard and Nicholls soon throttled that last hope. I suspect they prevailed upon the governor, pretexting that if he were to let them live much longer, it would open the floodgates to all kinds of dissent among the populace. Which was utter balderdash.’
‘Truly,’ said Ducamp, ‘they were bent on making an example of our governor.’
‘Yes,’ said Daniel, ‘and despite the fact that Leisler had been holding the governorship for King William in whom he had blind faith, and to uphold our Protestant values of freedom of worship.’
‘To say nothing of preparing our defences against the French from the north,’ added May, ‘who threatened to attack New York just as they had destroyed Schenectady.’
‘Those were fearsome times when you think about it,’ said Ducamp.
‘Indeed, they were,’ said Daniel with a fleeting thought for his dear Aunt Millie, whose husband, their son, his wife and children, perished in the tragedy. With a mournful chuckle, he added, ‘There are still remnants of the trenches around this house that my wife made in the futile hope of halting any potential assailants.’
‘But why did the governor not simply wait for advice from the king?’ questioned Paul, who knew nothing of Daniel’s loss.
Coming back to himself, Daniel said, ‘He deemed that if they cut away what he and the council saw as the root of dissidence, peace and calm would be restored.’
‘Some say the governor succumbed to their promise of wealth,’ added Ducamp.
‘True, I heard it said as well,’ said Daniel. ‘And it doesn’t surprise me either, as he was not a wealthy man; quite the contrary.’
‘I remember his wife certainly yielded,’ said May, ‘influenced as she was by Judith Bayard.’
‘Whatever the reason, after Sloughter signed the execution order, it fell upon Domine Selyns to visit Leisler and Milborne in prison. Had he supported Domine Daillé's petition, he might have played a crucial role in saving their lives. Instead, on the fourteenth day of May, a Thursday, I recall, the priest informed them of the grim decision as they were about to eat their dinner together. He told them there was good news and bad news. He then gave them the good news that their comrades were to be spared, held in confinement until the pleasure of the king was known. Then, he delivered the bad news.’
‘Which was?’ prompted Paul as Daniel took a sip of wine to moisten his tongue.
‘They were to die the following Saturday, to be hung, gutted, quartered, and beheaded.’
‘That’s barbaric! I can’t imagine them having much of an appetite after hearing that,’ said Paul solemnly.
‘How awful!’ added Jeanne. ‘So unfair! Surely Leisler should have spoken up to defend himself?’
‘Leisler and Milborne indeed sent notes, and their family and supporters beseeched Sloughter to defer the execution, at least until the king’s pleasure was known, but to no avail. His mind was made up, based on the advice of Leisler’s decriers. Without granting a single meeting with his predecessor, Sloughter condemned the two men to the gallows at the scratch of a signature.’
‘They say Sloughter signed under duress, and was drunk,’ said May.
‘That wouldn’t surprise me,’ said Daniel. ‘But if so, why did he not retract his authorisation when he became sober the following day? There really can be no excuse in my mind. He was as guilty as the rest of them. I wouldn’t be surprised if his death a few months later was due to a deep sense of guilt.’
‘God will have judged him,’ said Jeanne.
‘And just to rub in the salt,’ Daniel continued, ‘preparations were made for the gallows to be set up on Leisler’s own confiscated grounds that once belonged to the contested Lockermans estate. Surely the cherry on the cake of revenge for the Bayards, who had been at the centre of a long-standing family feud over the estate, which the Leislers inherited through Leisler’s wife while the Bayards claimed it should have gone to them.’
‘Yet another reason for this man Bayard to fear his Maker on the day of judgement,’ said Jacob.
‘So, Leisler was executed the next day then?’ asked Paul, quite taken aback but keen to know more.
‘Yes, the following morning.’
‘I recall it well,’ said Ducamp. ‘The place was swarming despite the bad weather and the early hour of the day.’
‘It was May 16th,’ continued Daniel gravely, ‘in the year of our Lord 1691. The day was as grey and wet as the crowd was forlorn and dismayed. The condemned men, who once led New York, were jeered in the drizzle by hecklers planted along the way from the fort prison to the gallows that stood by the State House. I was standing at one corner of the grim platform, and I will never forget when Leisler’s voice resonated, clear as a bell over the silenced crowd, whether they were supporters or not. He declared before God that what he had done was for King William and Queen Mary, for the defence of the Protestant religion, and for the good of the colony. He begged forgiveness for his enemies in the name of peace, and then committed his soul to God.’
‘Incredible,’ said Paul, ‘right up to his last breath, he championed unity among the people.’
‘God’s blood!’ chimed in May. ‘I'd have gone out fighting tooth and nail, and fie on those who would have gotten in my way!’
‘Milborne then followed,’ Daniel pursued. ‘I distinctly recall the sheriff asking him if he would bless the king and queen, to which Milborne replied, “It is for the king and queen I die, and for the Protestant religion!” Then they covered his eyes. “I am ready,” he said, and then, as it had done for Leisler, the trap opened beneath him. They were hanged until close to death, then beheaded.’
‘How awful,’ said Jeanne, holding her napkin to her mouth.
‘Unlawful and so unfair,’ said Paul bitterly.
‘A worthy governor indeed,’ said Jacob.
‘A brave and honest man who gave his life to save New York. He governed our city in the name of the people, when its so-called elites were still wondering whether they should stay loyal to the Catholic James II, or embrace our hard-earned freedom of worship and the Protestant values proclaimed by King William. Once the turncoats had evaluated the situation, they conspired against the man who had stepped up and replaced them to save New York. Thus ended the life of Jacob Leisler, the first governor of New York to be elected by its people. Let us remember him.’
‘Amen,’ said Jacob. Then after a reflective silence, he asked, ‘What is the situation nowadays, Daniel? Did his death quell passions and stem any further division?’
‘Quite the contrary, I'd say. I for one more than ever advocate judicial reform and New York's self-governance, even though Leisler was against the latter. And I'm not alone, especially since Bellomont, the current governor, recently upheld Their Majesties' decision to restore Leisler's honour and return his estate to his family, following Jacob Leisler the younger’s successful defence of his father in London. Parliament reversed the attainder against Leisler and Milborne in 1695, clearing their names. It was found that charges against him were void as the indictment against Leisler began on the 17th of March, whereas Sloughter did not arrive in New York until the 19th. This meant there had been no treason because Ingoldsby had been entrusted with no powers in government, and Leisler had offered no resistance to Colonel Sloughter thereafter. In fact, it was found that Ingoldsby should have obeyed Leisler, who was legally the commander-in-chief of the province. It was Ingoldsby who could have been condemned for high treason for laying siege to the fort, not Leisler for holding it.’
‘So, Leisler was right all along,’ said Paul with gritted satisfaction.
‘He certainly was. Yet, despite the crown’s late intervention, I still often wonder why a king from a distant land should dictate our fate here in New York. In response to this, Leisler once said: For the time present, we need the hand of a faraway king to defend us from other faraway kings. But I believe that time will come to an end. As our numbers grow, I hope we'll achieve the freedom to establish our own judiciary system, ensuring an opposition party to call to account the government in place, and to institute a guarantee of a fair trial for anyone condemned by that power, regardless of their political viewpoint, caste, or class.’
‘Hear, hear,’ said Paul, enthusiastically tapping the table with his fingers.
Darlington went on, ‘And one day, I hope and pray we shall be victorious in forming our own state system for the people of these lands, who will have the right to choose their assembly—not for folk who have never set foot in it.’
‘Well said, sir,’ said Paul. As he spoke, the young man found himself captivated by the prospect of a new avenue for his studies, while at the same time, he felt eyes upon him from the opposite end of the table.
Isabelle, sitting in the shadows at the top of the stairs, caught sight of Paul exchanging glances with Lily-Anne, whose fiery beauty seemed to radiate even more in the soft glow of the tallow lamplight. For a fleeting moment, she held his gaze, her large blue eyes sparkling intensely. Isabelle conjectured that Lily-Anne too could see the transformation in Paul. He was no longer the bedridden patient of a few days past, but an engaging young man, full of spirit.
Chapter 29
Fall, 1699
New Rochelle
The next morning, Jacob carefully drove a flatbed cart, equipped with an added passenger bench, out of the barn. He brought the two strong horses to a halt before the house, where Jeanne, the children, May, Didier, and Daniel were waiting on the path, bathed in the hues of dawn.
The Ducamps, amid the twittering of sparrows in a nearby tree, were wishing Jeanne a safe journey. ‘Rather you than me,’ said May lightheartedly, stamping her feet against the early morning chill. ‘I could never stray too far from city life and its gossip. But I look forward to seeing you all next week.’
‘Thank you for making our arrival so much less strenuous,’ said Jeanne, her cheeks flushed with cold. ‘You have truly made a world of difference.’ Her words were sincere, yet her eyes betrayed a tint of anxiety, as the two ladies from very different worlds fell into each other’s arms in a dignified embrace.
Meanwhile, from his perch in the cart driver’s seat, Jacob hailed cheerily, ‘Here we are, all packed and ready to roll.’
Patting the cart that had rolled up beside him, Ducamp said, ‘I had Lenny grease the axles and tap the spoke wedges tight, and I only had the rims refitted last week, so I trust you will have no problem getting there.’
‘We are indebted to you, Monsieur Ducamp,’ said Jacob. He had spent the previous afternoon with Jeanne and the children loading the cart with blankets, linen, and crates of extra clothing. Earlier, at the break of day, Daniel, who had stayed the night in his old study, had helped load the cart with provisions for the journey, which included urns of wine and water, and a hamper of food.
He now mounted his snorting steed. ‘Weather permitting, we aim to be there by late afternoon,’ he said, once in the saddle, while pushing his hat down more firmly on his head.
‘If not, there be plenty of inns along the way,’ said Ducamp, giving a leg up into the cart to Isabelle and Pierre, who were warmly wrapped up for the season, while Jeanne took her place on the rear bench that she had covered with a folded woollen blanket for rudimentary comfort. Isabelle, who had scrambled to the front, saw Paul look expectantly left and right before solemnly placing his walking stick in the cart and hoisting himself, stiff legged, beside their father at the front. Amid waves and calls of thanks and well-being, Ducamp closed the barn doors. Then, he and May, arm in arm, watched the cart trundle off into the crisp autumn morning, toward the post road that ran along the misty East River.
